The invention relates to a device for connecting abutting ends of two blood vessels that will be continuous after being mutually connected (anastomosis), wherein the device comprises a support part that can be inserted and that can automatically expand in the two ends of the blood vessels to be connected and that is made from a mesh or grid or cage with a lumen passing through the inside. In addition, in the position of use, the outer cross section of the support part corresponds approximately to the inner cross section of the respective blood vessel end supported by this part.
Micro-vascular anastomosis, that is, the connection of two blood-vessel ends, is one of the most difficult tasks in plastic surgery, with technical problems in the connection of the blood vessels leading to a high percentage of failures. An efficient and safe execution of this procedure reduces the time and the associated risk of exsanguination of the tissue and also reduces the risk of thrombosis and obstacles to the passage of blood caused by exsanguination.
In comparison with certain devices that require considerable deformation of the blood-vessel ends to be connected, it is to be viewed as favorable if the two ends of the blood vessels can abut each other and can be, for example, sutured together. Such suturing, however, is difficult due to the considerable flexibility of the blood-vessel walls and requires a large amount of skill.
Indeed, from WO2007016166 A2, a closure is known with which an opening within a blood vessel can be closed blood-tight, but here no support part made exclusively from a mesh or grid or cage is provided, because such a support part would not be blood-tight. The removal of a sleeve initially holding the device to a smaller cross section when it is inserted into two blood-vessel ends that can be brought together would be difficult or impossible.